Is Hollywood Beginning to Lose Its Originality?

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has for decades been the sole source to the American public on what exactly is considered an original film. Of course, you also have the People's Choice Awards that are held to allow the American public to have their say on what kinds of films are original within their own mind , and therefor get to have their vote online or through some other media means. Lastly, we have the critics that either write their columns for newspapers or have their own show, where they argue and banter over latest screen releases and DVD that has just come to store shelves with a colleague or some special guest from the entertainment world.

But, where the real question lies is in this simple question: What exactly is originality? Originality, in layman's terms, is something that has not been done before, and Hollywood has always been looking for that special creative spark that would allow them to make that certain genre-defining film, and would also allow them to shower the mantlepiece at home with more of the coveted golden statues that we all know as Oscars. But, will that time ever come? If one were to keep close tabs, the recent explosions of films that have been made over the years were usually in these forms:

1) Adaptations from books, comic books or video games

2) Another take-off from another idea, that was given a now slightly different angle, such as perhaps a comedy that is centered on gay marriage or abortion rights.

3)Historical films that we have no idea where the information came from and from whom presented the information and listed it as being of 'historical significance'.

4) Movies that are geared towards the teen-aged set where an adult may get the humor, but not quite, as their humor may be from a different age.

5) Religious films that are either taken from information that is already known and perhaps given a new slant or perspective (*ie "The Last Temptation of Christ")

Should this be enough to make the viewing public think more about what is considered to be an original film? We all know for a fact that the motion picture industry has a lot of things that they have to consider when the idea for a film first comes forth, but first and foremost, they have to take one important thing into a consideration: How much will this film gross for us in order to pay for the making of the film and how much it will put the company back in the black? It is with this simple reality that when placed first can be a dreadful mistake.

Movies are created from the minds of writers, as we all know, and these writers are given a task of either adapating a popular idea to script or to come up with an original concept. Over the years, I have noticed that more often times than not, films that we see are by no means original, as studios have been putting up more and more adapted works to the big screen in the hopes of creating that particular piece that will be recognized by the Academy in the next awards ceremony. Taking a trip back down Memory Lane, let us look at some of the past Oscar winners and see if the originality comes forth:

1) "The Passion Of The Christ" (*adapted from the Bible and other religious texts)

2) "Chicago" (*adapted from the popular Broadway play)

3) "The Lord Of The Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring" (* adapted from the popular novel series by J.R.R. Tolkein)

Can we begin to see a trend?

If it could be surmised that the Academy considers these to be original works, then what can be said of films that are not considered to be original works? It is not very often that an original idea or concept that has been thought of has been given the nod let alone any kind of nomination from the Academy. Two years ago, the film "Crash", which was made as an independent film, won the Best Picture Oscar, a film revolving around the lives of a group of people from all walks of life and their personal lives which become focused upon as it leads to the climax of an unsolved murder investigation. This is one of the few instances that a film's originality has been allowed to stand out, instead of receiving what is known as the coveted 'cult' following. So, if it could happen for this film, could it happen for others as well?

Hollywood is a large empire, where deals are made every day and films are being made in the most exotic of locations and the screenwriters are hard at work attempting to come up with new and fresh perspectives that will send the viewing public running to tell their friends and family about the greatest film that they have ever seen. It is true, original films are classified in the same way as beauty... in the 'eye of the beholder', and what may be original for some may not be exactly original to another. There, in my opinion, are what can be termed as 'original films' and 'good' films. It would be my hope that Hollywood would be striving harder to make films that are original as well as good. It is with this winning combination that movie studios will be able to gained the respect that is wanted from their peers and from the Hollywood community. Rather than looking for what will help them make a few dollars, is it possible that we can actually reach beyond that and perhaps take a little more time in the creation of a film rather than simply be in the porcess of supply and demand? if this deal could be realized, then perhaps the sudios would not only be able to produce a high-quality film and make a few extra dollars, but also be able to compete globally in this growing market as the global movie community carries the same task as our American groups, which is to obtain viewers. In order to maintain that same quality and standard, perhaps we should cut back on just making a movie, and perhaps making a good movie.